Phoenix Rising
Phoenix Rising Charter Phoenix Rising ('PhR' for short) is a Green sphere alliance dedicated to loyalty and fellowship amongst our members, and it is happy to extend this to friends and allies everywhere in our world. While foremost we are pleased to exist in peace, we will not hesitate to take up arms to defend our honour or integrity when needed. Government Phoenix Rising shall have three officers serving as the head of government in a triumvirate system. These will be: * Minister of the Interior, with primary obligation over internal affairs of the alliance such as discipline, education, and growth. * Minister of the Exterior, with primary obligation over external affairs such as diplomacy, negotiation, and inter-alliance representation. * Minister of the Defence, with primary obligation over military affairs such as organisation and battle readiness. These three shall form the Council of Ministers; they will from amongst themselves elect a Prime Minister, who shall function as a head of state and spokesperson for the alliance. Should the Ministers all decline the office of Prime Minister, then the Council of Ministers and the Council of Eternals shall concur and elect a Prime Minister from the membership body, with the restriction that a Eternal may not serve in this capacity. Should a Prime Minister be selected this way, he or she shall be simultaneously Prime Minister and a member of the Council of Ministers. Should this result in tie votes, the vote of the Prime Minister shall count twice. The Prime Minister may in all matters propose and enact legislation, regulation, and guidelines, with the following exceptions: * Offensive war must be declared in a unanimous vote of ministers. Response to invasion may be coordinated by any ministers present. Treaty obligations are not considered offensive war for the purpose of this clause. * There shall be a 48-hour period between proposal and enactment of other policies, where the other ministers may lodge any protests they have. Should a minister protest, the issue must be brought to a vote by the council. Ministers shall be chosen by a body of former ministers and trusted advisors known as 'Eternals'. These shall be tasked with electing new Ministers and advising the Council of Ministers, with the restriction that no Eternal may be re-elected to a Minister position, but not restricting them from acting as one at the request of the Council of Ministers. Should a Minister require removal, the remaining Ministers shall present their case to the Council of Eternals, with the Minister in question given a voice in defence. A supermajority of Eternals must concur for a Minister to be removed; however, should such a vote fail, the Eternals may discuss whether the Ministers bringing case should retain their positions. Should a Minister in either case be removed, he or she must wait ninety days before taking office as a Eternal. Ministries The Ministers shall act as authorities within their ministries. Each will be allowed to select inferior officers as needed (e.g. vice-ministers, bureau chiefs, field officers, bankers, diplomats, et cetera). The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers may issue directives and orders as needed; however, this should not be used in a manner to restrict the ability, initiative, or creativity of each Minister and/or his or her staff to perform their duties as needed. Membership The Membership shall enjoy the following ranks: * Petitioner. Such a nation has submitted a request to join the alliance, and is extended the protection of Phoenix Rising from the moment such application has been acknowledged (not received) by either the Prime Minister or the Minister of the Interior, until it has been declined. Should the application be approved, the Petitioner is naturally afforded full membership in Phoenix Rising as a Novice. * Novice. This rank is bestowed upon the ordinary members of the alliance. Such membership enjoys full protection and privileges while in good standing. Novices may be asked to perform various duties or functions, and should faithfully obey orders given in good faith, but shall not lose the right to question orders if required; such an appeal shall go through the Minister of the appropriate ministry, or the Council of Eternals if a Minister's order itself is in question. * Acolytes are members who are active officials and sub-officials in ministries or other Phoenix Rising organisations. Promotion to Acolyte status is immediate upon appointment once received by the novice in question, and may not be revoked while in good standing. * Seniors are those acolytes and novices who have shown special dedication to Phoenix Rising and continuing its growth, whether spiritual or temporal. Promotion may be made via Prime Minister or Minister of the Interior, and may not be revoked while in good standing. It is advised that Ministers be selected from this rank. Ranks may be reduced via disciplinary action via the Ministry of the Interior or the Council of Ministers. Any votes required for removal must be agreed via supermajority. Eternals are equivalent to Seniors for this procedure; Ministerial issues are handled by the Council of Eternals. Punishments should be in line with generally agreed practices for severity of offence, and may include, in rising severity: * Temporary disqualification of privileges, such as financial assistance. * Forfeiture of property such as cash, technology, or military personnel. * Demotion in rank. * Suspension of debating rights as exist among all members of Phoenix Rising. * Removal from Phoenix Rising. * Punitive attacks, lasting no longer than required to destroy the nation's entire infrastructure, or until the Council of Ministers is satisfied that justice has been dispensed. This list is not exhaustive, and a list of available sanctions shall be publically available published by the Minister of the Interior, but such sanctions may not extend past reduction to zero infrastructure. Should a nation collapse entirely before such punishment is completed, this guideline shall be considered satisfied. Admission To become a member of Phoenix Rising, a petitioner nation must be at peace, and with neither membership in nor obligation to another alliance. An petitioner may be denied membership by a majority of the Council of Ministers; such a majority may also waive other requirements if so desired. Petitioners must disclose all prior history, including quarrels with other alliances. Past issues in and of themselves will not automatically disqualify membership unless found to have been withheld from the application process, and deemed materially damaging to Phoenix Rising and/or its allies. Petitioners must understand that inquiries shall be made as well. An answer shall be delivered to petitioners within seven days of submission, and is in effect from the date transmitted by the Council of Ministers, or such staff as they may appoint. Foreign relations Phoenix Rising, while desiring peace and prosperity for its members and the Green sphere, understands that such peace may need to be defended by force of arms; also, to foster cooperation, it must consult and advise fellow entities in the Green sphere. As such, Phoenix Rising is not a 'neutral' alliance, and shall make such treaties, pacts, and blocs as it sees fit for security and prosperity. The Ministry of the Exterior is encouraged to promote friendships, relationships, and business transactions to encourage economic and military self-sufficiency and survival. Treaties may be proposed by any Minister, and must be agreed to by a majority of the Council of Ministers. Revokation of such treaties may only be done with unanimous consent of the Council of Ministers. Should the interpretation of a treaty come into question, the Council of Ministers shall consult with treaty partners and come to agreement upon the terms involved. Military actions during an inter-alliance war shall not include the use of nuclear weapons without either approval of the Prime Minister and/or the Minister of Defence, or first use of such by an enemy nation. Military actions during peacetime shall not be directed against a nation enjoying the protection of another alliance; this designation includes the membership, leadership, applicant pool, and prisoners of war of other alliances or blocs. Amendment and Alteration This charter may be amended, altered, or replaced as required. Such a change shall be instituted only with a supermajority of both the Council of Eternals and the Council of Ministers. Membership Override Any provisions, including this Charter, may be subject to change, alteration, or removal by a vote of the active membership, being those of Novice or higher rank in good standing. Such vote has a 75% quorum, and must pass via super majority to take effect. Polls may be taken by members, officers, Ministers, or Eternals. Such polls are not binding. Only votes designated as 'alliance plebicite', 'alliance referendum', or such shall be binding, with the prior restrictions. Disbandment Should a unanimity of Ministers and Eternals agree that Phoenix Rising shall disband, such a vote shall be placed before the membership as stated above. Should disbandment occur, the debts of Phoenix Rising shall be the responsibility of the Ministers and Eternals. How to Apply To apply for admission to the alliance, create a new topic at this link with the following information: Nation ID: Ruler Name: Nation Name: CN Forum Name: Resources: Past alliances: Recruiter: Email Address: History Phoenix Rising was founded in May 2009 by Sognatore, a former Triumvir of the Grand Global Alliance, along with others who were concerned about the directions that were being taken by the government of the time. Eventually, as time passed, others who were dissatisfied with events would drift over, including Andre27 and Qaianna, two of the three Triumvirate who were ousted during the 22 Feb 2010 coup. On 19 Apr 2010, Troy merged into Phoenix Rising, helping the alliance's already notable growth rate. During late 2010, the original leaders of the alliance sought successors to continue carrying the standard. On 08 Jan 2011, Andre27, FallenGuardian31, and Qaianna were named as the new standard bearers, along with a revised charter. International relations See also